Battlefield Earth (2000)

After re-watching the horrendously bad Battlefield Earth, I have many questions.

At the beginning of the film, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Barry Pepper) is able to avoid his village’s security gate by using a nearby hill. So why have the gate? It clearly won’t stop human invaders, and it’s completely useless against the aliens (Psyclos), who have aircraft.

I get that Psyclos are taller than humans, but why do they look like regular sized people walking on stilts?

Help me understand how the Psyclos can rate human intelligence on par with man’s best friend, yet can clearly see signs to the contrary all about them? Hello! Who built all those cities you destroyed? Considering all the evidence to the contrary, why do the supposedly intelligent Psyclos think human beings can’t be taught how to mine gold? The very thought of humans operating mining equipment is prosperous to them, so why round them up? Certainly looks like they’re put to work, and using basic tools too – and the work they’re doing involves moving large quantities of rock, which is mining, right?

How is it possible that human beings with the mental capacity of prehistoric cave dwellers, can learn how to fly Harrier Jump Jets in less than a week? Then tell me how an alien species that can conquer the planet Earth in nine minutes, can’t handle that same bunch of flying troglodytes in combat?

Why was most of the movie shot at a weird angle?

A visiting Psychlo complains about Earth’s gravity as being ‘different’. Since we’re to understand this race makes frequent visits to other planets, why haven’t they gotten used to the concept that planets with a different mass will have a different gravitational force?

Despite living on Earth for a thousand years, and actually capturing and feeding humans daily. Psyclos have no clue what humans like to eat.

What bet did Forest Whitaker lose that resulted in his appearance in this film?

Did anyone involved in the production of this horrible film actually read the source material? Because the book is actually very good.

Movie Prep:

This is considered one of the worst movies ever made, and for good reason. Only cat killing levels of curiosity (or being a movie blogger 🙂 ) would compel someone to watch it. It’s an illogical mess, and nothing at all like the book it’s based on.

Best Format:

If you are going to watch this, then a regular DVD or streaming show on any device you like will do.

Best Element:

John Travolta. Despite how bad this movie was, I have to respect John Travolta’s obvious enthusiasm for this project. Even spending millions of his own money to help get it made. Maybe one day this story will get another chance on the big screen – because I’m telling you, if they had been more faithful to the book, Battlefied Earth could have been really special.